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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Darrin Drader" data-source="post: 4623046" data-attributes="member: 7394">I don't see things being as different as some do. How are video games anything different than advanced versions of the ATARI? How many of us didn't have either those of the Nintendo growing up? The internet makes it a lot easier to talk to people in far off places, but how is that different than long distance telephone calls, letters, and home movies? Cell phones make it possible to take the phone with you wherever you go, but so what? People can get in touch a little easier. Texting is the equivalent of sliding notes into your friends' lockers.As much as people try to say that things have changed, I tend to look at how technology makes it possible to do the things we used to do more efficiently. Information is more accessible, friends and family who live in far away places can still be part of your everyday life through sites like Facebook and Myspace, and shopping is easier because you don't even have to leave your house to purchase many things. In addition to this, online ordering makes it so that you can buy things that otherwise wouldn't be available in your area.So what of roleplaying? Roleplaying has become one of the major genres of computer games, and there is good awareness of what led to those types of games. The younger generation will likely start with video games and experiment with tabletop as a means of having a good time with their real life friends. Really, how much fun is it to have a group of friends over and everyone get on their computers to experience an RPG together? It's not as fun, so as long as they know that tabletop is an option, I think it will continue to appeal to certain groups of kids.It is true that fantasy fiction now means more than it did when I was growing up. When I was younger, there was Tolkien, David Eddings, Terry Brooks, Piers Anthony, and then there were a few others who were starting to become popular, but there certainly wasn't the same number of authors out there as there are now, nor was there as much variety in the genres covered. Harry Potter is its own sub-genre, as are the horror inspired stories that probably have their roots in Vampire the Masquerade and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This just means that future roleplaying games may incorporate more of these elements. And remember that Tolkien style fantasy is far from dead. Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings have become some of the most important movies ever made. I wouldn't be surprised if the next generation of kids look at them in much the same way as we look at Star Wars. They may not be reading the books, but they're watching the movies, and that's just as good an introduction to traditional fantasy as I could hope for. In addition to this, there's Star Wars, which is more alive now than it was for the sixteen years in between Jedi and Phantom Menace. Again, that may be science fantasy, but its another path to geekdom and roleplaying.All in all, I don't think the future is bleak for RPGs. Also, I've said this before but it bears repeating, I'm back in school finishing my degree and I actually see more college age D&D players than I did the first time I went through. Young people are still getting exposed to it.</blockquote>

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